Read this story and weep….
Marijuana Moment
By Rosalind Adams, THE CITY
This story was originally published by THE CITY. Sign up to get the latest New York City news delivered to you each morning.
An employee of the city’s first legal marijuana dispensary is being held on Rikers Island on a cannabis-related felony charge in a striking example of how pot, despite being legal in New York state, can still drag people into the criminal justice system as it remains illegal under federal law and those of several states.
When police pulled over 33-year-old Jumal George in Brooklyn on October 11 as he was driving to a friend’s house after a shift as a lead budtender at the Housing Works Cannabis Co., they found he was driving without a license—and that he had a warrant against him in Pennsylvania. The charges there stemmed from several cannabis-related charges he was arrested for back in 2021.
His fiancée, Audra Ramos, told THE CITY that he had left his license at home. “A little mistake was made, but he was fixing it,” she said, noting that George had made trips back to Pennsylvania to deal with the charges there but missed a hearing after one of the dates was moved up suddenly last year. That’s when the warrant was issued.
When police pulled him over in New York, George was detained. Two days later, he was sentenced to seven days at Rikers for the license charge.
But more than a week later, George is still being held there, awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania, where he’s facing a felony charge for possession with intent to distribute marijuana along with six misdemeanor charges including a DUI for a Schedule I drug.
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Budtender At New York City’s First Legal Cannabis Store Jailed On Marijuana Charges
